Cage battery, particularly for table chickens

ABSTRACT

A cage battery, particularly for slaughter chickens, comprises an assembly of cages arranged in one or more layers, each cage being delimited by two side walls, an intermediary wall, a bottom, a front and a back wall, wherein below each layer of cages a continuous reception and transport space is formed, at least a portion of the bottom of each cage being movable between a closed position and an opened position in which the cage space communicates with the reception and transport space.

Unite States atet 1 Blondeel I [75] Inventor:

[ CAGE BATTERY, PARTICULARLY FOR TABLE CHICKENS Paul Marie JosephBlondeel, Schoten, Belgium [73] Assignee: Hendrix Fabrieken N.V.,Boxmeer,

Netherlands [22] Filed: July 13, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 271,465

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 13, 1971 Netherlands 710968452 U.S.Cl ......119/17,1l9/18,119/82 51 Int. Cl ..A0lk31/06 [58] Fieldof Search.; 119/17, 18, 21, 22, 30,

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,109,413 ll/l963 Patchett119/17 X Petrie 1 19/17 2,725,036 1l/1955 3,173,564 3/1965 Mayo 119/12 X3,396,703

8/1968 Trussell 119/30 Primary ExaminerHug'h R. Chamblee Attorney,Agent, or FirmMarshall & Yeasting [5 7] ABSTRACT A cage battery,particularly for slaughter chickens, comprises an assembly of cagesarranged in one or more layers, each cage being delimited by two sidewalls, an intermediary wall, a bottom, a front and a back wall, whereinbelow each layer of cages a continuous reception and transport space isformed, 'at least a portion of the bottom of each cage being moa'blebetween a closed position and an opened position in which the cagespace communicates with the reception and transport space.

5 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure CAGE BATTERY, PARTICULARLY FOR TABLE CHICKENSBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Until recently the growing of table chickensand similar poultry was done rather generally according to the so-calledground system, that is to say the animals were housed on litter onground level. In connection with the disadvantages of said system, suchas the appearance of certain diseases, the low occupation per volumeunit and particularly also the large amount of expensive manual work,there has been an increasing tendency to change-over to the so-calledbattery system, according to which the animals are housed in a batteryof cages arranged in layers, in imitation of the housing, known alreadysince many years, of layer hens in so-called layer batteries.

Two principles may be distinguished therewith. According to a firstprinciple the cages are arranged fixedly, which brings along theadvantage of a light weight and thereby relatively inexpensive batteryconstruction. However, a major disadvantage of said system is that theloading of the'animals when fit for slaughter always requires muchmanual work since the animals have to be transferred by hand from thefixedly mounted cages to containers serving for the transport to theslaughter house;

According to a second principle the cages are arranged removably asseparate elements in the battery and may be used at the same time astransport containers. Indeed this principle is work-saving whenconsidering the loading aspect; it involves, however, a heavier and moreexpensive battery construction, while the requirements for a breedingcage do not mate with those for a cage serving for the transport betweenthe breeding place and the slaughter-house.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention therefore aims at providing acage battery which combines the advantages of the known systems andavoids their disadvantages.

In accordance with the presentinvention a cage battery, particularly forslaughter chickens, is provided which comprises below each layer ofcages a continuous transport space, at least a portion of the bottom ofeach cage being movable between a closed position and an open positionin which the cage space communicates with said transport space. When thechickens bred in such a battery have become fit for slaughter and haveto be transported to the slaughter-house, the cage bottoms may be simplyopened to transfer the animals into the transport space there-below andto transfer them through said transport space to the loading station ata longitudinal end of the battery. At said loading station the animalsmay then be received in a simple way in containers for furthertransportation to the slaughter-house.

Preferably the bottom of the transport space is constituted by aconveyor belt, which during the breeding period may also serve as amanure discharge belt.

Preferably also the bottom of each cage is pivotable around an axissituated in the bottom plane between a horizontal closed position and anopen position inclined downwardly towards the transport space below thecage.

According to a further feature of the invention the pivot shaft of thebottom is positioned relative to the centre of gravity of the bottom sothat the unloaded bottom automatically returns from its opened positionto the closed position under the influence of gravity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The drawing is a cross-section of afattening chicken battery according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The battery comprises aplurality of longitudinally spaced pairs of uprights 1, 2. The uprightsl, 2 of each pair of uprights are mutually connected by a number of (inthe embodiment shown three) transverse elements 3.

The uprights 1 and 2 respectively are, as seen in the longitudinaldirection of the battery, mutually connected by upright longitudinalelements 4 and 5 respectively which are constituted by a network oflongitudinal and transverse wires. Three feeding troughs 6 and 7respectively extend along each of the longitudinal battery sides, whichtroughs also may be considered as longitudinal connection elementsbetween the uprights 1 and 2 respectively.

The transverse connection elements 3 may be made of sheet metal and eachconstitute a common side wall of two longitudinally adjacent pairs ofcages 8, 9.

The longitudinally adjacent pairs of cages together form a cage layer orstorey. In the embodiment shown there are three such layers or storeys,indicated hereinafter as layers I, II and III counting upward.

The cage layers are each delimited at their upper side by a wall 10extending along the full length and width of the battery, which in theembodiment shown is constituted like the longitudinal elements 4 and 5,by a network of longitudinal and transverse wires. The cages 8 and 9 ofeach pair of cages are separated one from the other by a common backwall 11 positioned in the longitudinal direction of the battery betweenthe respective intermediary elements 3,"which is likewise formed from anetwork of longitudinal and transverse wires. The front walls of thecages are formed by removable panels 12 which are pivotally mountedaround their upper edge between the closed position as shown and theopened position indicated by broken lines, while the front walls of thecages 9 are constituted by similar panels 13.

The bottoms 14 of the cages 8, which in the embodiment shown areconstituted by a perforated sheet with downwardly turned side edges, aresuspended pivotally and removably from shafts or stub shafts 15extending longitudinally of the battery between the lower edges of therespective intermediary elements 3. The bottoms 14 rest, in the closedposition shown, at the front side of the cages on an abutment edge 16,serving at the same time as a spilling edge, and may be locked in thisposition by means of locks 17 secured to the uprights 1, which in thiscase are in the form of pivot locks and cooperate with a bent-over edgeportion of the bottom 14.

The bottoms 14 and 18 respectively may pivot in the direction of thearrows to the positions indicated by broken lines, in which positionsthey are inclined downwardly towards a receiving and transport space 21extending along the full length of the battery and situated below therespective cage layers.

The spaces 21 below the cage layers II and III are each at the undersidearid laterally defined by the longitudinal elements 4, 5 and by theupper walls 10, integral therewith, of the cage layers 1 and IIrespectively, situated therebelow. The space 21 below the lowest cagelayer l is at its underside delimited by an additional metal wire wallextending along the full length and width of the battery andconstituting an integral unit with the lowest longitudinal elements 4and 5.

The height of the spaces 21 is adapted to the size of the animals whenfit for slaughter. A conveyor belt run 22 is movable along the bottom 10or 10' respectively of each space 21 in the longitudinal direction ofthe cage battery. Said conveyor belt runs belong to a single conveyorbelt or to a plurality of separate conveyor belts, which are guided over(drive) rollers (not shown in the drawing) positioned at the ends of thebattery.

During the breeding period the manure falling through the bottoms 14 and18 is received by the conveyor belt runs 22 and discharged towards anend of the cage battery. The same conveyor belt runs may be used whenthe chickens are fit for slaughter and have to be transferred from thebattery to the transport containers. Therefor subsequently for examplefirst the bottoms 14 of the cages 8 situated at one battery side arepivoted to the. positions indicated by broken lines, whereby the animalson said bottoms are urged to go to the underlying reception andtransport spaces 21.

It should be noted that the shafts or shaft stubs l5 and 19 respectivelyare positioned such that the centres of gravity of the bottoms are at adistance from said shafts, namely between said shafts and the frontsides of the relative cages. This means that if the locks 17 or 20respectively are placed in their inoperative positions the bottoms l4and 18 respectively generally will not automatically resume theirpivoted positions but that therefor an extra intervention or action isnecessary. Said intervention or action may be such that the operatorforces the animals backwards by means of the upwardly pivoted front wallof the respective cage, whereby the centre'of gravity of the bottom andthe animals together is displaced towards the other side of the pivotshaft, whereby the pivotal movement is initiated and the discharge ofthe respective cage further takes place automatically. The advantage ofthe said arrangement of the pivot shaft is that as soon as the lastanimal of the respective cage has left the corresponding pivoted bottom,said bottom automatically returns into the closed position under theinfluence of its own weight.

Of course the invention is not restricted to the embodiment shown.Several modifications thereto are possible within the field of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A cage battery, particularly for growing chickens for consumption,comprising at least one tier of cages arranged in end-to-endrelationship, each individual cage having side walls and. upper andbottom walls, wherein the improvement comprises a continuous collectingand conveying compartment, immediately below each tier of cages, thebottom of which is constituted by a conveyor belt spaced below the tierof cages at a distance such that the height of the collectingcompartment is sufficient to accommodate matured chickens, at least aportion of the bottom of each cage being movable between a closedposition and an open position in which the chickens are directeddownward into the collecting compartment.

2. A cage battery according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottomof each cage is pivotable around a shaft situated in the bottom plane,between a horizontal closed position and an opened position inclineddownwardly towards the reception and transport space below the cage. 1

3. A cage battery according to claim 2, characterized in that the pivotshaft of the' bottom is so situated relative to its centre of gravitythat the empty bottom automatically drops back from its opened positionunder the influence of its weight to the closed position.

4. A cage battery according to claim 3, characterized in that the cagebottom is lockable in its closed position.

5. A cage battery according to claim 2, characterized in that the cagebottom is removably supported on its shaft.

1. A cage battery, particularly for growing chickens for consumption,comprising at least one tier of cages arranged in end-to-endrelationship, each individual cage having side walls and upper andbottom walls, wherein the improvement comprises a continuous collectingand conveying compartment, immediately below each tier of cages, thebottom of which is constituted by a conveyor belt spaced below the tierof cages at a distance such that the height of the collectingcompartment is sufficient to accommodate matured chickens, at least aportion of the bottom of each cage being movable between a closedposition and an open position in which the chickens are directeddownward into the collecting compartment.
 2. A cage battery according toclaim 1, characterized in that the bottom of each cage is pivotablearound a shaft situated in the bottom plane, between a horizontal closedposition and an opened position inclined downwardly towards thereception and transport space below the cage.
 3. A cage batteryaccording to claim 2, characterized in that the pivot shaft of thebottom is so situated relative to its centre of gravity that the emptybottom automatically drops back from its opened position under theinfluence of its weight to the closed position.
 4. A cage batteryaccording to claim 3, characterized in that the cage bottom is lockablein its closed position.
 5. A cage battery according to claim 2,characterized in that the cage bottom is removably supported on itsshaft.